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Battle of the ‘tweens’: From T.G.I.S. vs Gimik to Friends 4Ever vs Luv U
March 4, 2014 Some of the brightest names in show business today started out as part of teen-oriented shows and programs. And we can still identify those who were products of GMA-7’s T.G.I.S. and ABS-CBN’s Gimik, two teen drama shows that were very popular back then. In 1995, the pair of Angelu de Leon and Bobby Andrews was the onscreen teen tandem to beat until ABS-CBN started building up Judy Ann Santos and Rico Yan. From then on, T.G.I.S. and Gimik rivalry intensified, they were head to head in terms of popularity and viewership. T.G.I.S. revolves around a clique of friends living in a fictional village presumably located somewhere in Quezon City. The show deals with the various episodes concerning adolescent life. Meanwhile, Gimik, which was originally created as part of ABS-CBN’s 50th Anniversary, was patterned after a popular US show. T.G.I.S.: Featuring Bobby Andrews, Onemig Bondoc, Angelu de Leon, Michael Flores, Rica Peralejo, Ciara Sotto, Red Sternberg and Raven Villanueva Gimik: Featuring Judy Ann Santos, G. Toengi, Rico Yan, Patrick Garcia, Jolina Magdangal, Diego Castro, Diether Ocampo, Marvin Agustin, Kaye Abad and Mylene Dizon After both series went off the air in 1999, the stars cast in these programs tried to find their own niches in show business. Some of them became successful and some of them failed. Dingdong Dantes and Anne Curtis can be considered as the most successful products of T.G.I.S. as they still remain very much visible up to this day. On the other hand, Gimik has a long list of talents that were able to maintain the luster of their stars like Diether Ocampo, Dominic Ochoa, and John Lloyd Cruz to name a few. And that gives us an idea which between T.G.I.S. and Gimik really made a mark. Teen-oriented series then took over Sunday afternoons, and in 2013, GMA and ABS-CBN experimented with horror-themed programs. The strong competition between T.G.I.S. and Gimik is revived with the debut of Friends 4Ever, IBC-13's very first teen drama series top-billed by Sue Ramirez, Khalil Ramos, Superstar Circle alumni Liza Soberano and Diego Loyzaga, Francis Magundayao, Ella Cruz, Chienna Filomeno and John Manalo. The show will be shot in high-definition (HD) quality and pitted against ABS-CBN's Luv U, a teen sitcom which featuring former Goin' Bulilit graduates like Miles Ocampo, Marco Gumabao, Kiray Celis, Igi Boy Flores, Nash Aguas, Alexa Ilacad, Sharlene San Pedro and Jarius Aquino, has managed to succeed in this difficult environment by being more of a sitcom and becoming a breeding ground for ABS-CBN’s future teen stars (the show headlining Goin' Bulilit alumni does help). Like their predecessors, Friends 4Ever and Luv U are head to head in the ratings game. Members of the main cast are constantly compared with one another. Which of them is the best, the hottest or the most popular? The same questions asked one-and-a-half decade ago. Luv U: Miles Ocampo, Marco Gumabao, Kiray Celis, Igi Boy Flores, Nash Aguas, Alexa Ilacad, Sharlene San Pedro and Jarius Aquino Matter of fact, much from teen artists because they are too young to deliver convincing performances. But their image as young stars can work wonders. There are so many more opportunities for stardom, they just make sure that they continuously hone their skills like what the brightest stars did when they were still part of teen dramas. Friends 4Ever: Sue Ramirez, Khalil Ramos, Liza Soberano, Diego Loyzaga, Francis Magundayao, Ella Cruz, Chienna Filomeno and John Manalo Before Friends 4Ever, some of the country’s rising young stars had made their mark through shows produced by Viva Television for IBC-13 such as H2K: Hati-Hating Kapatid and Pop Girls Live!. Two shows provided a venue for the youngsters to showcase their talents. While the first fantasy series of IBC in a primetime slot that featured teenagers as lead stars (Janella in Wonderland featuring rising teen star Janella Salvador). and recently,ventured into the youth-oriented musical variety show every Sunday afternoon Hey it's Fans Day!. Eventually, IBC-13 developed a plan that would give a new batch of young stars an avenue to expose their acting skills. Thus, Friends 4Ever was launched and featuring the cast dominated by teenage actors and actresses. It will focus on light entertainment, ergo, youth-oriented drama. The story around the typical Filipino teen life, both at school and at home, with family, friends and loves. IBC Entertainment TV Head Laurenti Dyogi said that explaining the network’s aggressiveness when it came to youth-oriented and light entertainment in a feel-good habit. TV5 and GMA have long stopped producing teen shows (Bagets: Just Got Lucky and Teen Gen). Because of this, Friends 4Ever marked that IBC-13’s first attempt at a teen-oriented series, which began when Viva-produced H2K: Hati-Hating Kapatid aired in 2000. During its pilot telecast last March 2, Friends 4Ever trounced the rival’s network show under the same timeslot. 'The popular teen-oriented show on Philippine TV' *''Luv U'' (ABS-CBN) *''Friends 4Ever'' (IBC-13)